


Wish

by saaailor



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, War, World War II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:01:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27727197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saaailor/pseuds/saaailor
Summary: when you wish upon a star,makes no difference who you are,anything your heart desireswill come to you ~
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Original Character(s), James "Bucky" Barnes & Original Female Character(s)





	1. Chapter 1

**VERONICA STARK** is incredibly lucky. So lucky, in fact, that all of her wishes seem to come true-without the catalyst of a shooting star or some magical well or even glass slippers.

Granted, she never really thought much of it. When her parents were able to pull together enough money to buy her a new pair of saddle shoes- the same pair that Susie Jenkins from school had -it certainly hadn't been because she'd wished for them. Her father had just had a good day at the market- that's all. Like her brother **HOWARD** always said, luck was just a series of coincidences that were sure to come to an end eventually. And Veronica agreed.

And then she'd wished that Chuck Johnson- the neighborhood bully who had taken a liking to using Howard as his own personal punching bag- would just drop dead and **he did**. Right then and there, in the alleyway outside of Doc's Soda Fountain, and neither of them thought that her wishes were just coincidences anymore.

From there on out it wasn't about getting new shoes, or finding enough change on the sidewalk to get a soda from Doc's. It was about getting out of that tiny apartment the family shared in the Lower East Side and into the world. It was about climbing the ladder, and getting out of poverty.

Howard served as their means to do that. While Veronica was special in her own way, her brother was a genius who just didn't have the means or opportunities to shine. A few wishes here and there, gave him those opportunities. It wasn't long til the two of them were rubbing elbows with the elite at some of the most prestigious, international conferences in the world and it wasn't long after that the two started Stark Industries.

But every wish, comes at a price. Some are cheap. Little things, like losing your favorite pen. Others, are much more severe. Things that you can't just wish away. Like the death of your parents. It's like a line of dominoes. The first one is the wish, and when it gets knocked down more and more follow suit. And no matter how long the line is- no matter how convoluted the wish is -it comes to an end eventually.

And it's there, at the end of the line, where Veronica will pay.


	2. praeteritum - the past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What's past is prologue."
> 
> ― William Shakespeare

**HOWARD STARK HAD ALWAYS BEEN AN INCREDIBLY TALENTED MAN.** Those who knew him before his success would tell you that they always knew he was destined for great things- destined for something more than the world would ever give him -and that it was a miracle that he was where he was today. And when presented with these comments, Howard really only had one thing to say- that it was due to the support from his family, and his lucky charm. His little sister, Veronica.

Veronica was talented in another way. She wasn't particularly smart- though, you had to be at least above average to keep up with Howard in any way, shape, or form -and she was lacking charisma wise. But, she was perhaps the only person in the world able to wrangle Howard Stark and that in, and of itself, deserved some kind of trophy. And dealing with his bullshit? Deserved ten.

But the two made an incredible team. Howard, was an immovable object. Strong and sturdy and incredibly stubborn. And Veronica- well Veronica was an unstoppable force. Fierce and determined and... also incredibly stubborn. And it was these traits, that made them such a powerhouse- because when someone pushed them, they didn't just step aside and take it. They pushed back... hard.

They hadn't always been this close though. What had brought them together, was the revelation of Veronica's supernatural abilities- aka the day she killed Chuck Johnson in the alleyway outside of Doc's Soda Fountain.

They'd gone there separately after school, just like they did most things. Howard with his friends and Veronica's with hers. But when Chuck Johnson- the neighborhood bully who had taken a liking to using Howard as his own personal punching bag -arrived with his gang of goons, things quickly escalated. Its hard to remember all of the details now. Things were said- first between Howard and Chuck, and then Veronica and Chuck, and then Veronica and Howard were fighting instead and...

It's a blur, really. But Veronica had thrown her drink in his face, and that was that. He'd grabbed her by the front of her dress and dragged her outside and into the alleyway, his goons hot on their heels with Howard in tow. And then he'd punched her, straight in her face, and threw her on the ground. And with the taste of iron in her mouth, and a waterfall of blood gushing from her nose, she'd stood up and uttered those seven words- the seven words that would change her life forever.

"Ya know," she said, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the cobblestone. **"I wish you'd drop dead Chuck Johnson."**

And then his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his body started convulsing and then he was falling. Veronica still remembers the sound of his head hitting the concrete- the loud crack! of his skull breaking. And just like that, he was gone. Dead.

He'd been carried inside his mother's womb for nine months. It had taken nine months for his life to form, and only seven words for it to be undone.

The autopsy said he'd gone into cardiac arrest- a heart attack at only sixteen -though the cause was unclear. There was no history of coronary artery disease in his family, and he didn't have high blood pressure, or cholesterol, or even diabetes. And though he was a social smoker, the coroner concluded that this had little- if any - effect on his health and subsequent death. Chuck Johnson was as fit as a fiddle, the report said. His strings had just **snapped.**

Howard- ever the man of science -had a different idea. Their parents had always called Veronica their lucky charm. Wherever she went, luck and fortune were sure to follow. Howard just thought of her as a walking coincidence. It was just a coincidence she found enough money on their way home from school to stop at Doc's for a shake- not because she'd wished for it. And when their dad brought home a new pair of saddle shoes for her- the same ones Susie Jenkins from home room had -it wasn't because she'd wished for them in the darkness of her room. It was because he'd had a good day at the market- that's all. But the sight of Chuck Johnson's seizing body, the sound of his skull breaking against the concrete, those words "I wish you'd drop dead Chuck Johnson" coming out of his sister's mouth? No. This couldn't be a coincidence, which meant none of it could be a coincidence.

Veronica wasn't lucky. She was special. Special in a way that allowed her to bend reality to her will, just by uttering those two little words- "I wish."

So Veronica had killed Chuck Johnson. Nine months, sixteen years, and seven words. A murderer at fourteen. Crack! Her parents would be so proud.

All she wanted to do- all she had ever wanted to do -was help people. When she was younger, she dreamed of one day being a nurse- healing the sick and tending to the wounded. And instead, she'd killed someone. Taken the very life she'd wanted to protect. And every second, of every day, it haunted her.

So she shifted her focus elsewhere. She wanted to use her abilities to make the world a better place. To help people, as opposed to killing them. But these sort of world-changing wishes took time, and in order for them to take hold she needed a vessel of sorts- something for the wish to come true through. Howard was that something.

He was smart enough to do it all- smart enough to end the depression, smart enough to end world hunger, smart enough to end the war. But in God's great and glorious plan, he would never be more than an immigrant's son- a nobody. But then again- what's a God to a pair of non-believers anyways?

Veronica would write her own great and glorious plan- and all it took was six words.

"I wish you could be seen."

Dr. William Carmichael-Montgomery- owner and CEO of Carmichael Enterprises -had been the first of many to see Howard. He'd been at their annual high school science fair, and was immediately impressed. So much so that he offered Howard a summer job as his personal assistant in his lab, an offer Howard had accepted without hesitation. That was the first domino, and from there on out the rest followed suit.

Over the summer, Howard had the opportunity to attend some of the most prestigious scientific conferences in the world, bringing Veronica along for the ride as well. For days they rubbed elbows with the elite, making personal connections that would last them a lifetime. And at the end of the summer, as Howard's senior year of high school approached, Dr. Carmichael-Montgomery gifted him with a full ride to MIT- his alma mater- as a final thank you for all the hard work he'd done. **Crack!**

Howard's senior year flew by, and it wasn't long before they were dropping him at his dorm in Cambridge.

"Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone," Howard said, ruffling the younger girl's hair.

"How can I?" She'd replied, her brown eyes glossed over with tears. "You're taking all the stupid with you." Howard had laughed, and then sent his family on their way before they could see him cry.

They spent the next two years writing letters to one another while Howard was away at school. They talked about anything and everything- from the girls Howard was seeing, and then not seeing, to starting their own company. And when Veronica joined him in Cambridge two years later, she did so with the intent of earing a degree in business management to aid them in their plans.

And on September 30th, 1939 they opened the doors to Stark Industries, with promises of innovative technology to better the world around them.

But the higher you climb, the farther you fall- and it wasn't long before the two Stark siblings found themselves falling and then crashing. Because less than twenty-four hours later, their parents were murdered in their home- the same home their children had gifted them only months before. A thank you for all they had done. **Crack!**

The dominos had reached the end. The same wish that had given them everything, had taken so much more. And it was then that Veronica realized, that every dream come true came with it's own walking nightmare. She'd changed their lives- and now they had to live them without their parents.

And just like Veronica had done with Chuck, she shifted her focus elsewhere- throwing herself into her work, school and company alike. Because as long as she was busy, she could ignore the ghosts looming over her. It was only in the darkness behind her eyelids that she saw them.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

**VERONICA HAD NEVER BEEN ONE FOR NIGHTCLUBS**. She much rather preferred to drink her sorrows away in the comfort of her own home, with a good book and a bottle of wine- away from the prying eyes of the public and in the company of only those who haunted her. She liked being alone. ** _Crack!_**

Howard, as he always had been, was the exact opposite. He couldn't stand the silence- couldn't stand to be left alone with only his mind as company. He needed a constant distraction to ease the pain that had found a home deep within his chest, and the nighttime scene had proved to be an excellent distraction. The music, the women, the alcohol, the drugs. It was enough- at least till the morning anyways. But the morning wouldn't come for hours, and at least till then Howard could pretend. 

"This is a time for celebration, Vee!" He'd exclaimed, in the hotel room earlier that evening, standing in front of the younger woman- his arms outstretched. 

"It's a time of war Howard." Veronica had replied, from her position on the couch- her knees tucked up to her chest, a book in her hands. "And besides that, we have a meeting in the morning."

"Forget the big picture for a moment and live a little." He said, throwing himself onto the couch besides her. "We just secured a ten year contract with the US Military. And now, we should be out at Ciro's celebrating!"

There's a moment of silence as Veronica's eyes meet Howard's over the top of her book. 

"We're leaving at eleven. Latest."

They did not leave at eleven. 

It had only taken half an hour for Howard to find himself in a booth, sandwiched between a pair of red-headed twins, and when eleven finally had hit Veronica knew he was too far gone to reason with. So, with a sigh, Veronica found a table close to the door and situated herself there, with a message to the barstaff to keep the drinks coming. Alone. Just like she had wanted. 

"What's a pretty girl like you doin' all by her lonesome?"

Looking up, Veronica met the eyes of a young man- dark hair, light eyes, a strong jaw -with a bottle of wine and two glasses in his hand. 

"Can't you see," Veronica says, gesturing around herself. "I'm here with all my _bestest_ friends."

"Need another one?"

Veronica knows he's not interested in her- not really anyways. His type is one she's all to familiar with- the type that butter you up with gifts and expensive wine only to gain power in return. If anything, when he looks at her- the younger sister of boy-genius Howard Stark -all he's sees is dollar signs. But he's holding a bottle of Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Veronica never said she made good decisions- especially when she was already a little drunk.

"A friend with a bottle of Rothschild? They're always welcome." She says with a smile- one typically reserved for meetings spoken through clenched teeth. It's forced- and doesn't meet her eyes -but she's not trying to convince anyone. Especially not a man wearing brown shoes with a black belt. 

He pulls out the chair adjacent to hers and settles into it, opening the bottle of Rothschild with a satisfying _**pop!**_

"I don't think I've seen you around before." He says, while pouring them each a glass. "You new in town?" He extends one out to the younger girl, who takes it- holding the stem between her fingers, the glass resting gingerly in her palm.

"Didn't this place only open a few months ago?" She says, dodging his question. "You come here often enough to know everyone who comes through the doors?"

"What can I say?" He shrugs, with a smile. "I'm a people person. Like making friends. I make it my job to know anyone whos anyone in this town."

"So I'm somebody then." Veronica nods, bringing the glass up to her lips. 

"Coming in here with Howard Stark? Yeah. You're a somebody." He looks at her, blue eyes boring into brown. Growing up, Veronica had always wanted blue eyes. She'd always felt that they'd held so much in their tumbling oceans. But looking into his, Veronica couldn't see anything. _**Crack!**_

"Well," She says, placing her glass down on the table. "I hate to disappoint, but I'm a no body. So you should meander on over to another table- I think one of them will give you what you're looking for."

He doesn't break her gaze. "I think I've already found who I'm looking for." 

Confusion sweeps over her face, tugging at her eyebrows, at his words. But, it's soon replaced by anger when she spots Howard, accompanied by the redheaded twins, sneaking out a door labelled 'employees only'. Grabbing the bottle of Rothschild, Veronica pushes back from the table and stands.

"Thanks for the wine," she says, without so much as a look towards the man. "But I've gotta go." 

Stomping after her brother, Veronica shoves her way through the crowd of dancers- each with a "hey!" or "watch it!" -before pushing open the door, and exiting out into the dark alleyway. 

"Hey!" Veronica shouts, spotting three figures- one of which leaning against the brick wall -loitering around a group of dumpsters. "Who do you think you are!? Dragging me out here only to ditch me!?" She says, as she begins making her way over to them- the sound of her heels clacking on the cobblestone the only response. 

"Vee," Howard croaks, hand outstretched, palm towards her, signaling her to stop. "Run." 

One of the girls smacks him at his words, and it's only then that Veronica see's the familiar metallic glint resting in her hand- a gun. She steps towards them, hand tight around the neck of the wine bottle. 

"I swear to God," Veronica says, through clenched teeth. "You touch him again and I'll-" 

Suddenly, a black belt had found it's way around Veronica's neck from behind, pulling tightly and cutting her off. Her eye's buldge as she's pulled upwards slightly, rising up onto her tip-toes as much as she can in heels to avoid the belt cutting further into her neck. 

"Told you I'd found who I was looking for," the man from before says in her ear, as her free hand comes up to pull desperately at the leather. "Stop struggling." He commands, firmly. "Just let it happen. It'll be over quickly."

Would it? Would it be over quickly? It felt like it'd been an eternity already. And Veronica couldn't help but wonder, as her eyes fluttered, if it'd felt this way for all of her ghosts. Did it feel like an eternity for Chuck Johnson, as his body seized up and them crumbled to the ground? What about their parents? Did it feel like an eternity, as they watched the bullet that would end their lives, be shot from the barrel? Hopeless and afraid? 

The sound of Howard grunting pulls her back, and through her teary eyes she can see the women strike him- once, and then twice, and then a third. But his eyes always come back to hers- a silent plead. To do something, to do anything. To keep living. Because what's the point in living in a world, without your little sister, without your parents, without anyone who had ever loved you? 

With what life Veronica has left, she reaches back- using the bottle of Rothschild to hit the man in the temple- wine pouring from the open top and drenching Veronica in the process. 

He reels back, releasing her, and Veronica- still in the process of catching her breath, gasping -winds back to smack him across the face with the bottle once more, sending him tumbling to the ground. 

At the same time Howard, taking advantage of his sister's distraction, headbutts the woman in front of him- his forehead connecting with her nose with a crack! She staggers back, blood pouring for her nose and down onto her white blouse. There's a crazed look in her eye, and she snarls something at her sister- who is still pinning Howard against the wall -and her hand flies down to her hip, where her gun lays. 

**_Bang! Bang!_ **

From the mouth of the alley, someone shoots- hitting the woman twice in her chest. She staggers once more, the gun falling from her hand, before she crumples in a heap. The woman holding Howard turns- her hair spinning around her in a red wave -but has no time to react. 

**_Bang! Bang!_ **

She too stumbles back, releasing her hold on the lapel's of Howard's jacket, and then crumbles to the ground next to her sister- blood seeping through her white blouse. 

"Howard," Veronica gasps, meeting him halfway and throwing her arms around him. He squeezes her back with one arm- the other holding his side, where the twins had no doubt broken a rib or two. "You okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine." He breathes. "You?"

"I'm good." She says, with a heavy sigh. 

"I hate to interrupt," a voice calls out to the two. "But I think we need to talk."

Looking over her shoulder, Veronica sees two figures approaching them- one being that of Colonel Chester Phillips, and the other an unknown woman, wearing the an army green suit a gun in hand. 

"Colonel Phillips," Veronica says, greeting the man. "Our meetings not til tomorrow."

"Well, I had a feeling you wouldn't mind if we were a little early." The older man says, with a confident smile. Two shake hands, Howard giving an awkward wave, before the Colonel gestures to his companion. "This is Agent Peggy Carter."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." The red-lipstick wearing woman says, with a nod. 

Veronica nods back, with a smile, before turning to the colonel. "It's looks like we have a lot to talk about."

"That we do Ms. Stark. That we do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and here we are- the first chapter of 'wish'. it's... more like a prologue than anything- kinda setting up the story. i felt it'd be weird to just... jump straight into the main story without giving you any background as to who veronica is and how she came to be. but i also didn't want to drag it out for an entire act. 
> 
> here's some more relevant background information.
> 
> * veronica is fourteen (1919) when she kills chuck johnson- howard is sixteen (1917). bucky was born in 1917 as well, and steve 1918. in 1943 when the story really kicks off veronica is 24, steve is 25, and both bucky and howard are 26. 
> 
> * i've also changed peggy's date of birth, as it really didn't make much sense when it came to the overall timeline. according to the wiki, she was born in 1921- meaning in 1940 she'd be 19. i felt it really didn't make much sense considering her position with MI5 prior to the SSR, so I changed it so she was born in 1919 with Veronica. 
> 
> * the timeline for this chapter is 1933 - 1940, with veronica killing chuck being in 1933 and the attack at ciros in november 1940.
> 
> * i'm following a timeline from collider.com for the most part, but i have altered a few things. the first being, when bucky and steve enlist (or try to enlist for the former). the timeline says that they enlisted in december of 1940, however it seemed very unlikely bucky would've gone almost three years without being shipped off- even with his additional sniper training. according to what i've read, basic training only lasted a few weeks and specialization training a few months at max. therefore, i've changed this to be december 1942, with captain america: first avenger kicking off at the beginning of june in 1943. this means that bucky realistically would've been home for a few weeks after his sniper training, before being shipped off to london. 
> 
> * also! since this guy will never come up again, veronica didn't hit him hard enough with the wine bottle to kill him. i don't know if that's really possible? but she did knock him out. peggy and colonel phillips took him into custody, questioned him, and he's definitely in jail for attempted murder and maybe espionage? but yeah i just wanted to clear that up!
> 
> that's all i really have to say right now! more so that anything, these notes are kinda for me to keep up with all the math lmao but i thought you guys would like to know how the timeline lined up and the like. 
> 
> i hope you guys enjoyed! thank you so much for your love and support! it truly means a lot to me! i'll see you guys in the next one!
> 
> xoxo, zoe


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